Villas In Minehead

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Heather - Verified booking

  We've just had a fabulous stay at The Old Thatch over Christmas with our two dogs.

  The cottage is perfect, and larger than it appears in the photos. Has a well equipped kitchen and powerful shower. The fridge is a little small if you were planning to do a lot of cooking during your stay, but it was fine for our needs. We also loved the glass surrounded roof terrace where you could sit and enjoy the sound of the stream running past the back of the cottage. And to watch the nesting crows in the evening. Quite magical. We parked right outside the door for our stay, but there was other space opposite at the Rec entrance. Incidentally, if you have dogs, take them through the Rec, behind the tennis courts to the right and you will find an enclosed dog walking area with benches and poo bins so you can safely let your dogs off lead without issue. This was invaluable for us as we have one deaf dog and a new puppy with very little recall. The cottage's location is truly excellent, within a few metres of the High Street's shops, cafes and pubs and local hotel. All do food and are dog friendly. The local butchers are really good, with locally sourced produce. And if you love antiques and pets, the Pets and Ossibilities shop is a must! We noted a previous review from October mentioned the cottage wasn't ideal for dogs owners in wet weather due to the cream carpets throughout. That was actually a really helpful comment as we then came equipped. We took a plastic dust sheet with us*, which we spread from the inside steps across the first part of the carpet. And then used a couple of dog travel panels to fence that area in, effectively making a small paw drying / muddy boots space right inside the front door. Worked a treat for the entire break. Also having travel barrier helped as the door opens straight onto the lane (albeit a very quiet one) but for peace of mind, we found it really helped. *There is a very good home and hardware shop in the village where you can purchase a dust sheet if you didn't bring one. Great dogs walks in the immediate area down to The Saltmarshes and Porlock Weir, with more dog friendly businesses including the sister pub to The Top Ship in the village; The Bottom Ship, which also does food. Only slight issue was the wifi signal wasn't the best so was quite slow at times. However, that wasn't an issue for us as we were on a break from the real world! But if you were working online you may find it frustrating. But overall, we loved every minute of our stay at The Old Thatch, and the people of Porlock are incredibly friendly and helpful, so we would highly recommend at stay there.

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• Abigail - Verified booking

  We loved barn cottage and would return.

  Highlights: The position of the cottage was 10/10 -right by the Tarr steps and so quiet. Could not have picked a better spot. If people love wild life then this is the cottage for them! All you can hear from the cottage are the sounds and sights of nature which is a refreshing change. The cottage is secluded but not as secluded as some have stated as there is a pub 2 mins over the Tarr steps and a few houses located very near ( we could not hear any noise from the houses). The cottage was so clean and appreciated that . Negatives were that the cottage's heating was set by the owner and was cold when we entered the property. There was a box of logs that we topped up from the forest so it would have been nicer to have more logs. When we tried to contact the named person the number did not connect so unsure if that number is still correct. Think if an older couple stayed here they may have struggled with the temperature as we were not able to adjust heating. I suppose the solution would be to extend the hours of the heating or supply more logs. As other people have mentioned there is no welcome pack however appreciate that these are currently tough times for people and did appreciate the milk that was left for us. I forgot my hair dryer which I never normally do but there was not one that I could find in the house. In all cottages where I have stayed there was a hairdryer so that would have been useful. When we had a BBQ it was very nice of the owners to supply the coal etc but there was no tin foil to hand so this would have also been useful. All being said I would definitely book Barn cottage again and the positives very much outweighed the negatives and I am already looking in the diary to see when I can return. We both had a lovely time at Barn cottage and loved Exmoor.

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• Cheryl - Verified booking

  There are a few positives about this property; the location is very good for Dunster and local beaches.

  It is a lovely building and the upstairs is spacious, garden is lovely. However, I am a surprised that Sykes use this property as a rental as there are many negatives and we were definitely overcharged for the week we spent there. There is mould in both the shower room and bathroom (I took photos which I will send to Sykes, why aren't you checking properties you rent out?) We were two families with four children, this is unacceptable. There was a damp patch on the landing wall, a patch of plaster missing in the kitchen. This is general maintenance that should be completed by the property owners and Sykes should be checking the properties are acceptable for people to stay in. There was not enough bedding for six people so we had to ask for more, there were not enough glasses, bowls, plates for six people. There was only one tea towel, no oven gloves, which is dangerous. There is a washing machine but no clothes airer to hang clothes and only five pegs for the washing line. The cupboard over the sink in the shower room is situated so you hit your head. The sofa and chairs in the lounge were really uncomfortable and dirty and the whole house smelt of dog when we arrived. It also needed updating generally, it was tired and unloved. The house was clean on the surface but there were cobwebs in every room. It needs a thorough update and clean. Some of these issues have been mentioned in previous reviews and in the guest book in the house. Yet the owners have ignored feedback and just taken more money from guests. Unacceptable. We have stayed in many lovely properties throughout the UK and this is the worst we have experienced and I'm disappointed that Sykes are marketing it.

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• Jenny - Verified booking

  Before you go to the Old Police House in Dunster, make sure that all the problems have been addressed - and how they do that I don't know.

  It's the challenge we have issued to the owners and Sykes. In 2022 the property had very good reviews but 2023 it seemed to all go wrong. In essence many of the previous reports of 2023, particularly August and September still rang true in December when we went. We were confronted by a grease caked oven (roll on Christmas dinner) and unacceptable areas of mould. Thankfully we made contact with the owner and they got hold of the cleaners to come in and degrease the oven and clean some of the mould off the walls and replace light bulbs (although we dusted the chandeliers!) Some minor items had improved, plenty of cutlery, glasses, new roasting tin and even a colander.) . Some of the walls need redecorating, chipped dado rails need painting and the lounge furniture needs either cleaning, recovering or replacing. The carpet seemed new and clean. The kitchen and main bathroom are modern (save for the grease and mould!!). The heating is good and the main bedroom was comfortable for us. The linen is contract linen and was clean and comfortable (although the cleaners should have removed some of the previous occupants laundry). While the property description includes a wood fire in a downstairs bedroom 'with the first basket of logs provided free' the owner commented 'we haven't done that in years!' . So the description may not be relied upon!! The owner and Sykes have made noises about getting their act together. The property has all the promise of being rather special. However, how you get an assurance that everything has been sorted is not clear. If they offer us a free weekend with every expectation that we can give it a clean bill of health - you'll be hearing from us!

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• Delyth - Verified booking

  It exceeded our wildest expectations in every respect from the moment we stepped in !

  Owners had spared no expense refurbishing it to the highest standards ! Exquisite furnishings, new sparkling kitchen appliances, cutlery, crockery, saucepans, frying pans, ultra modern induction hob, oven, toilet downstairs with wash hand basin, a very comfortable double bedroom upstairs with clean linen, towels etc., nice and cosy everywhere! From the bedroom upstairs, a most luxurious, spacious bathroom with a fantastic shower, separate wash hand basin, fitted electric toothbrush charger, if that is not enough, open another to door to a veranda protected by a secure railings to relax listening to sound of a clean, fast running stream! Very generous supply of toilet paper, paper towels, etc etc. Even clean towels for the two house trained pet dogs ! Step outside, a recreation ground with footpaths to walk the dogs. Owners Mr Alan and wife, Carolin McKay were easily contactable and helpful to answer any queries. Local people are very cultured, friendly and helpful and so are the motorists, never did anyone toot at me when I was hesitant wondering which way to turn to guide ourselves unlike the South East of England or where we live in Llandysul, Carmarthenshire ! I bet the Police have a relaxed time not having to worry about crime or accidents! I shared it with our Police Officer who would be envious! Local village centre is walking distance with a magnificent church, beautifully lit up with Christmas lights! Fancy a Chinese takeaway/restaurant ? Just 5 miles in Minehead at Golden House which we enjoyed thoroughly! We would stay at the Old Thatch again and again !

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